


The New Life

by Ailette



Category: Kamen Rider Ryuki
Genre: Imported, M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6691999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailette/pseuds/Ailette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even with a brand new life Shinji was still forever yelling and following after Ren.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Life

“I’m beginning to think you’re stalking me,” Ren says about half a second after he’s punched Shinji right in the face.

“Um,” Shinji makes. He clearly needs to convince Ren that is completely not what’s happening.  With good, sound arguments and … reasons. “No?”

Ren’s eyes narrow and he takes a step closer to Shinji. Shinji automatically brings up his hands to deflect another punch –

Only it doesn’t come. At the sound of an engine starting, he whirls around just in time to see the other man drive off on his bike.

“Ren! Wait!”

He turns back to his own bike, hastily grabbing his helmet to begin pursuit and catch up and talk some sense into- he stops. There is no reason to go running after Ren. There is no danger he needs to warn him about. No monsters attacking. No Riders _he_ shouldn’t attack.

There are no such things as Riders and Monsters.

“Dammit,” Shinji whispers and stares down at his hands. Old habits die hard, huh? Even with a brand new life he is still forever yelling and following after Ren.

In a way, that’s probably Ren’s fault, too. He hadn’t known at first. Only after he’d come to Atari at a whim and quite literally run into the taller man had the memories started to come back. Memories that had never taken place in this life. Dreams of monsters, Riders, fighting and people dying.

His own death, even. It was probably the scariest thing in the world, to remember the pain as he’d grabbed onto Ren’s hand even as he could feel his life slipping away. The last thing to come back to him was Ren’s voice, begging, no, yelling - Ren was always yelling at him – not to die.

But now he’s here, alive. Just like everyone else. Just like nothing had ever happened.

***

Tezuka is the only one who recognizes him and even he needs to read his future before he also remembers a past that never was.

“I have seen glimpses before,” Tezuka says quietly. “Of my best friend dying. It just didn’t make any sense before.”

“Sorry,” Shinji says, feeling guilty for bringing back something unpleasant just so he can feel better about himself.

“You don’t understand.” When Shinji looks at him in surprise, he sees the fortune teller smiling. “I’m thanking you. Those things that happened… they are important. I prefer remembering them.”

***

The next time he sort of follows Ren he gets hit again – only this time by one of the guys he’s been beating up rather than the man himself.

When Ren is the last one standing and spots him as he looks around, he only sighs and rolls his eyes.  “I told you not to follow me.”

“You did not,” Shinji protests. “You only said you thought I was stalking you.”

Ren is looking very unimpressed with that, so Shinji adds, “I’m not. Honest!”

It’s probably not absolutely necessary for Ren to pick him up off the ground as he gets back to his bike, so Shinji counts that as a plus in his book even as he has to watch the other’s tail lights again.

***

“Ren?”

Shinji hadn’t planned on saying anything, but seeing the other man just… standing there in the rain as he’s staring at nothing, makes his heart clench. He’s been here long enough to watch the thugs that had apparently been today’s job get beaten and scramble away. It has been a good few minutes already, but Ren still hasn’t moved from his spot.

When Ren turns to face him, it’s with his eyes narrowed and Shinji knows then and there that he will regret having spoken up.

“Stop fucking following me!”

The first punch misses its mark as Shinji dodges just in time (he’s seen Ren fight too often to not know his movements by now), but the second hits him square in the jaw and makes him stumble.

“I’m not-”

Another hit and this time, Shinji doesn’t manage to catch himself and stumbles ungracefully to the ground.

“I’m tired of your stupid face already!”

Shinji hisses as Ren pulls him up by the collar to yell directly at him before he lifts his fist again – only this time Shinji’s faster and Ren is the one that stumbles backwards with a hand pressed to his face. He’s full-on snarling by now and Shinji barely has the time to straighten himself completely before he’s tackled to the ground.

They only stop fighting when neither of them has the energy left to get to their feet again. So instead, they’re lying on the wet grass, panting and groaning and bleeding and completely exhausted.

“I’m tired of getting punched by you,” Shinji says after he’s finally regained his breath. “You always hit where it really hurts!”

“That’s because it’s my job. Try to think for once before you get in my way, idiot.”

Shinji chuckles and regrets it immediately, because, _ow_. “What happened?”

“None of your business.”

“I guess,” Shinji sighs and stares at the side of Ren’s face. There’s a bruise beginning to form right on his cheekbone and he wonders if it was him that put it there or one of the earlier thugs. After a moment, Ren turns and Shinji is startled when their eyes meet. It feels like it’s been a long time since they’ve really looked at each other like this. The other man’s eyes seem to track every inch of his face and Shinji wonders if he also takes mental notes about all the bruises he’s left there.

“It’s a bad time to hit on me,” Ren says and looks skywards again. There are no stars visible tonight. “My girlfriend just dumbed me and you irritate the hell out of me even on good days.”

Shinji immediately tries to sputter out a denial when his brain screeches to a halt, backtracks and does a double-take. “Eri broke up with you?”

Ren halfheartedly smacks him. “Stop yelling!”

Scrambling to get on all fours to stare at the taller man, Shinji stutters, “But – after everything-”

Ren has his eyes closed and is nodding, luckily not seeing when Shinji hastily claps his hands over his mouth to stop himself from saying something he’ll regret later.

“Sorry,” he finally mumbles and drops back down a little closer to the man who was once his friend.

“I’m not going to cry on your chest, keep some distance,” Ren says, eyes still closed. Shinji shuffles right into his side and grabs onto his jacket out of spite.

Ren doesn’t shove him away.

***

The first time Shinji doesn’t immediately get punched after following Ren is when he runs into him in front of Atari, sitting on his bike, helmet still in his hands and looking torn. He actually starts when Shinji touches his shoulder, but controls the immediate reflex to punch him when he sees who it is.

“Not again,” he groans and apparently decides to leave right then and there, but Shinji’s grip tightens and he stops in his movements to look at him.

“It’s just – can you, can you maybe come inside with me?”

Ren is staring at him and Shinji doesn’t exactly blame him. This must seem like the world’s worst pick up line. But then, Ren puts the helmet back down and gets up wordlessly. Shinji is left to stare after him for nothing more than a moment before he quickly follows.

It’s a little awkward when they’re sitting at the counter, each of them sipping their black tea and saying nothing.

“Are you going to stop following me after today?”

“I’m not following you!”

Ren sighs into his tea. “Yeah, right. You just happen to pop up wherever I am every couple of days.”

“It’s not days,” Shinji grumbles.

Obaa-chan is eyeing them suspiciously from the kitchen, her distrust in Ren apparently still strong even when she has no idea who he is. Ren smiles at her sweetly and raises his cup, which results in her scoffing and vanishing into the back room.

“I last saw you two days ago. Before that, on Saturday and Friday. The last time before that was on Monday when I was-”

“But today was really by chance,” Shinji whines before his brain backtracks again. “Wait. You keep track of when you meet me?”

“Congratulations, you’re a very efficient stalker,” Ren says drily. “I even agreed to keep you company.”

Shinji smacks him for that, effectively spilling his own tea half across the counter. He screeches and hastily tries to dab everything up with his napkin – only to realize it’s not enough and make a grab for Ren’s, as well.

“Obaa-chan is going to kill me,” he whines and then sputters when a sponge hits him square in the face. He catches it and almost throws it back at Ren reflexively, only to realize that the older man is no longer sitting beside him, but rather standing behind the counter and mopping up his mess like he’s never done anything else.

Shinji stares in open shock while Ren swiftly moves around. Ren being graceful while doing the oddest of things isn’t exactly news to him, but…

“You know where everything is.”

Ren nods at first, looking like he’s about to make a remark about how at least one of them needs to know their way around when he freezes.  He’s not looking at Shinji when he sighs, instead resting his eyes on the childhood pictures of Yui and her brother in front of him.

“So it’s not just a coincidence that you’re here today.”

“Let’s talk about this some other time,” Ren says and throws the dish cloth carelessly into the wash basin.

“Ren!” Shinji is out of his stool the second Ren opens the café’s door, but is held back by Obaa-chan grabbing his arm and insisting that he pay or she call the police before he can follow.

Today is January 20. Yui’s birthday.

***

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ren sighs. “I wasn’t sure at first that you also remembered. I met some of the others and they don’t.”

“But I kept following you around!”

Shinji smacks his shoulder when he looks smug at that. “Shut up!”

They’re sitting side by side on the grass of a river bank. A quick call and a nudge from Tezuka in the right direction had landed them here, finally talking about all those impossible things that never happened.

“I didn’t want to remember,” Ren says quietly. “I didn’t remember clearly in the beginning. Just an odd feeling of deja-vu every now and then… but after I met you again it started getting more and more.” He takes a pause for dramatic effect before meeting Shinji’s eyes. “It’s like something bad happens every time I see you face.”

“Hey!”

Ren laughs at him.

***

“Do you think everyone is happy now?”

Ren makes a questioning noise which means that he’s listening, but not sure what the hell Shinji is talking about. He’s got his nose buried in the newspaper reading one of _Shinji_ ’s articles though, so Shinji doesn’t take offense. Plus, he’s definitely at a disadvantage if he tries to attack with his head pillowed on Ren’s lap.

“The other Kamen Riders. Do you think they’re also happy now?”

“I don’t care.”

Shinji pinches his stomach through his pullover, earning himself a yelp and the newspaper dropped onto his face. He shoves it aside to glare up at the other man, crossing his arms for maximum effect. Ren sighs, which means victory.

“None of them lost a loved one, are dying, in prison or on a killing spree. That sounds better, doesn’t it?”

“Mh,” Shinji makes and tilts his head thoughtfully. “You never told me what you wished for.”

As an answer, Ren yanks him upwards by his collar so Shinji has to grab onto him in order to not choke and glares at him.

“And I’m not going to,” he says and drops Shinji back down and smothers him with a pillow, ignoring the indignant cries of “My hair!” as the younger man tries to free himself.

When he finally manages to breathe again, his cheeks are flushed and he’s grinning up at Ren. As long as no one is fighting and sad, he doesn’t care how exactly all of this happened. The only times Ren flat out refuses to tell him things are usually when they have to do with Shinji and it would embarrass him, so he has an idea what he wished for.

It was definitely the wish of a hero.

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally posted at http://ailette.livejournal.com/72954.html)  
> A/N: I wrote this approximately five minutes after I first finished Ryuki? So many great characters, ugh. ♥ Set after the last episode, so beware spoilers.


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